‘Emperor’ Movie to Give Julius Caesar the ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘300’ Treatment

You know who never got the brutal, sword-and-sandal treatment he deserved on the big screen? Julius Caesar, apparently. The Roman emperor and his story have been featured in many films, but that was before Game of Thrones, or B.G., and we’re now living in a world after the debut of Game of Thrones, or A.G., if you will.

Variety reports that Lionsgate is developing Emperor, based on a series of books by Conn Iggulden that examine the lives of young Caesar and Brutus. Producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton (who produced 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire) compared the project to — surprise — 300 and Game of Thrones:

Combining the sweep of ‘300’ with the intrigue of ‘Game of Thrones,’ this is the part of the story of the mighty Julius Caesar that nobody knows — his emergence alongside Brutus as young powerhouses in Rome, a fresh and contemporary retelling of their rivalries, passions and jealousies, captured in a movie with breath-taking action, spectacular visual effects and epic scope.

Caesar was a Roman statesman, general and Latin poet (yes, really), who rose to power in 49 B.C. after a series of impressive victories in battle. The emperor enacted a series of political reforms that left many unhappy, and was soon declared a dictator, giving him almost total control over Rome. But on the Ides of March in 44 B.C., Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus.